Clio II: Creating History in New Media

04/11/2016

Interactive Websites and the Beginnings of My Design

Hello Everyone!

Out of all the things we have learned about, I'm most excited to learn about interactive websites and how to make your own website more interactive. There's nothing worse than having a boring website, or even the complete opposite: a website that's too interactive and busy. There should be a balance between static content and interactivity. I've noticed nowadays that a lot of websites embed interactive polls in order to receive feedback from their visitors. I've always liked that feature since it gives the user a chance to feel like they can contribute something to the website they're visiting.

On the other hand, I have visited many interactive-based websites that were very successful. The "Lost Museum" website that we had to visit this week, for example, is one of these successful interactive website. I had an absolute ball exploring different aspects of the webpage. It kind of reminded me of Pottermore.com, the interactive website made by J.K. Rowling, author of Harry Potter. There is something thrilling about interactive websites. It not only feels like you're playing a game, but you also receive very useful information from them as well.

Now on to the Design project. I started conceiving my idea for my website design this past weekend. I found a lovely large painting of the Arch of Septimius Severus and I hope to alter the image so I can use it as my main design. So far, I have gotten rid of the inscription on top of the arch and removed the background, I have made a gradient of the main website body, and I made sure that the body of the website was all one color. So far I am super happy with it, but I still have a long way to go before I complete it. I plan on widening the arch so I can have an ample amount of space for text and I also plan on getting rid of the figures on top.

Here's the original painting:

Here are my alterations to this painting that I have done so far, which will be the base for my website design:

The image as of right now is too narrow for a website design, and that's why I plan on extending the arch on either side with the magic of Photoshop. This design project is a lot more tedious and difficult than I originally thought, but I'm excited to make my vision into a reality! Hope everyone else's projects are going well!